2012 Topps: "Rookie Patches" Insert Set
2002 Upper Deck Sweet Spot: "Rookie Gallery Jerseys" Insert Set
1997 Proline: "Emerald Autographs" Insert Set
2012 Topps: "Rookie Patches" Insert Set
Jay's Football Cards
The Error Cards
My Error Card Discoveries (Updated October 9th, 2022)
The whole idea for this page came from my repeated failed attempts at getting the cards listed below into the Annual Beckett magazine as "Error Cards". Years ago, it seemed as if Beckett was not interested in listing these cards as error cards.
Even for documentation purposes, I would think that Beckett would be interested in the error cards because it would tell the collector that the information on the card is incorrect. My only guess is that the early 90's totally wore the research team out at Beckett. I mean, between Pro Set and Pacific there were so many errors and variation cards that it must've driven them mad. The prices of the Error or, in some cases, the correction cards were very high. The prices have since come down and in any case, indicates that the collector has lost interest.
My interest is in the documentation. The cards listed below are not like some of the cards you might find on an auction site, (i.e., mis-cuts, or missing foil coating). The errors below are true errors that I have uncovered. If you have any of the cards below you might want to check on some of them to see if you have a corrected version.
.jpg)
1991 Pacific: “Aeneas Williams” RC (B) #633E
1991 Pacific: Aeneas Williams, #633 RC (Shown Left): The information on the back is not correct. It has Aeneas listed as 6'4" and 285 lbs. Now I don't know about you, but I wouldn't have a problem picking out Aeneas if he was standing next to Reggie White, (The late Reggie White during his playing days was 6'5" - 295).
1996 Upper Deck SP: Reggie White, #38 (Shown Right): Reggie's personal bio info on the back is incorrect. Reggie didn't go to North Carolina A&T.
.jpg)
1996 Upper Deck SP: “Reggie White” (B) #38E
%20-%20.jpg)
1994 Action Packed: “Michael Haynes” (B) #1E
1994 Action Packed Michael Haynes, #1 (Shown Left): His info on the back is Jerry Rice's. Michael Haynes went to Northern Arizona, not Mississippi Valley St. And he wasn't drafted in '85 with Jerry, Michael was drafted in '88.
1994 Bowman: Steve Jackson, #302 (Shown Right): The picture on the front shows Steve Tovar, a Cincinnati LB. Steve Jackson was a much smaller CB.
1996 Fleer: Tim Biakabatuka, Rookie Sensations, #2 (Shown Left): The picture on the front is of WR, Mushin Muhammad not Touchdown Timmy.
1997 Donruss Preferred: Natrone Means, #66 (Shown Right): The small picture on the back looks to be James Stewart, who was another running back in Jacksonville. James used to wear the bandage on the bridge of his nose.
1996 Fleer: “Tim Biakabatuka” Rookie Sensations #2E
1997 Leaf: You know, most sets will yield one or maybe two error cards, (The early Pro Set and Pacific sets, notwithstanding), but the '97 Leaf set was a throwback. Not so much with text or graphics like Pro Set had, but this Leaf set couldn't identify players.
.jpg)
1994 Bowman: “Steve Jackson” #302E
.jpg)
1997 Donruss Preferred: “Natrone Means” (B) #66E
.jpg)
1997 Leaf: “Rickey Dudley” #46E
1997 Leaf: Rickey Dudley, #46 (Shown Left): The picture on the front is not Mr. Dudley. It's Mr. Glover. Andrew Glover wore #87.
1997 Leaf: Charlie Garner, #124 (Shown Right): The picture on the back is not Charlie. The jersey looks like #36, which would be Michael Zordich.
.jpg)
1997 Leaf: “Charlie Garner” (B) #124E
1997 Upper Deck SP: “Eddie Kennison” (B) #179E
1997 Upper Deck SP: Eddie Kennison, #179 (Shown Left): Sorry. That's not Eddie on the back. It's Marquis Walker, a CB from S.E. Missouri, can't you tell?
1994 Playoff: Leonard Russell, #167 (Shown Right): The stats on the back are QB stats, not RB stats. I kinda think this is wrong.
.jpg)
1994 Playoff: “Leonard Russell” (B) #167E
1997 Playoff Zone: When it comes to certain sets, (like the '97 Leaf Set above), there is a common theme among errors. The '97 Playoff Zone theme was not knowing where the player on the card went to school.
.jpg)
1997 Playoff Zone: “Steve McNair” (B) #100E
1997 Playoff Zone: Steve McNair, #100 (Shown Left): On the back, Steve's alma mater isn't really wrong. It's just spelled wrong. It's spelled Alcon State. It should be Alcorn State.
1997 Playoff Zone: Will Blackwell, #134 RC (Shown Right): On the back Will's College is listed as Virginia, (Shown in red). It should be San Diego State.
.jpg)
1997 Playoff Zone: “Will Blackwell” (B) RC #134E
_.jpg)
1997 Playoff Zone: “Jim Druckenmiller” (B) RC #135E
1997 Playoff Zone: Jim Druckenmiller, #135 RC (Shown Left): On the back, Jim's College is listed as Virginia, (Shown in red). It should be Virginia Tech.
1997 Playoff Zone: Ike Hilliard, #141 RC (Shown Right):
There is a whole lot of something goin' on here. First, Ike's last name is spelled wrong on the back. It's Hilliard not Hillard. Second, his college stats are totally wrong. No one would ever get drafted with the numbers this card says he put up. But, hey, they got the college right!
.jpg)
1997 Playoff Zone: “Ike Hilliard” (B) RC #141E
1997 Score: Like the '97 Leaf Set, Score must have employed the same person to identify the players for their cards, because the mistakes are very similar.
.jpg)
1997 Score: “Bruce Smith” #56E
1997 Score: Bruce Smith, #56 (Shown Left): I'm sorry, but I don't buy it. That's not Bruce on the front. My guess is, it's Jim Jeffcoat. Jim played in Buffalo from 1995 thru 1997 and wore #77.
1997 Score: John Randle, #120 (Shown Right): I'm not a gambling man, but I would put money down that it's Fernando Bryant #95 pictured on the front, not John. Fernando Smith played for Minnesota from 1994 thru 1997 and wore #95.
.jpg)
1997 Score: “John Randle” #120E
.jpg)
1997 Score: “Brian Blades” #213E
1997 Score: Brian Blades, #213 (Shown Left): Here again, I don't think this is Blades. The jersey number is 36, not 89. And that would make the player shown Lamar Smith.
1997 Score: Tony Martin, #268 (Shown Right): This seems to be an ongoing problem with this set. That is not Tony Martin on the front. My guess is that it's #21 Darrien Gordon.
.jpg)
1997 Score: “Tony Martin” #268E
.jpg)
1997 Score: Chris Canty, #284 RC (Shown Left): Whomever Score hired to put the names with the players should've been fired. Canty is not the player you see on the front. Canty went to Kansas St. which wears purple and white jerseys, not orange. My guess on the player shown is James Stewart who went to Miami FL. But here is the real kicker,....Stewart was drafted in '95. Canty in '97. Score couldn't even make a mistake with a player from the same draft. They had to go back two years to come up with this whopper.
1997 Score: Keyshawn Johnson, The New Breed, #11 (Shown Right): Keyshawn is not as big as the player shown on the front. The player on the front is #98 Bobby Hamilton. The same Bobby Hamilton who won 2 Super Bowls with the New England Patriots.
1997 Score: "Chris Canty” RC #284E
.jpg)
1998 Topps Finest: Randal Hill, #17 (Shown Left): Randal's Career TD total indicates he scored 72 TDs in his NFL career. No way. Maybe if you included his College and High School career numbers.
1998 Topps Finest: Tony Banks, #24 (Shown Right): Tony went to Michigan State, not Michigan. Seriously, in parts of Michigan, a mistake like that is considered a federal offense.
1998 Topps Finest: "Randal Hill” #17E
1998 Upper Deck SPx Finite: Bobby Taylor, #254 (Shown Right): That is not Bobby Taylor shown on the back of this card. My guess is it's the Eagles star LB, William Thomas.
1997 Score: "Keyshawn Johnson” The New Breed #11E
.jpg)
1998 Topps Finest: "Tony Banks" #24E
1998 Upper Deck SPx Finite: "Bobby Taylor" (B) #254E
Andre Reed: Sometimes, it's not a set, but a player that the errors are centered on, but to confuse a player with 3 other players is truly impressive. Part of me thinks that this was an inside joke. I mean, 3 different sets, 3 different years, and 3 different players; I call Bullshit.
.jpg)
1998 Upper Deck MVP: Andre Reed, #10 (Shown Left): It looks to me to be another receiver on the back. It's definitely not Andre. My guess would be #80, that Eric Moulds kid, (Andre Reed Non-Look-Alike #2).
1996 Upper Deck SP: Andre Reed, #81 (Shown Right): It looks to me to be another receiver on the front. It's definitely not Andre. My guess is it's #88, WR, Quinn Early, (Andre Reed Non-Look-Alike #1)
1998 Upper Deck Black Diamond: Andre Reed" (B) #10E
1999 Upper Deck MVP: Andre Reed, #26 (Shown Right): Do people have a hard time recognizing Andre Reed? Upper Deck didn't improve much in '99, now they weren't confusing Andre with Eric Moulds or Quinn Early, now it was kick returner Kevin Williams, who wore #82 in 1988. (Andre Reed Non-Look-Alike #3),
Miss-Spelled Names: Sometimes, it's not a set or a player's identity, but a player's name. The cards below show the easiest of things to check. How do you truly screw up the spelling of a player's name?
.jpg)
1998 Upper Deck SP: Andre Reed" #81E
.jpg)
1999 Upper Deck MVP: Andre Reed" #26E
1998 Skybox: "Jon Avery" Autographics #4-E
1998 Skybox Premium: Jon Avery, Autographics, #4 (Shown Left): Again, another one of those cards where the player's name is spelled wrong. And in this case, John could've refused to sign it. He probably thought it was funny. John did do stand-up comedy after his playing days were over, so it is possible.
2001 Upper Deck Legends: Isaac Bruce, Memorable Moments, #MM-IB (Shown Right): Some errors are the easiest to find and fact-check. I mean, how on earth do you spell a Hall-of-Famer's name wrong who played in the league for over 10 years? Pathetic.
2000 Sage Hit: "Raynoch Thompson" Autograph #46-E
2000 Sage Hit: Raynoch Thompson, Autograph, #46 (Shown Left): Again, another one of those cards where the player's name is spelled wrong. At least they didn't spell "Noch" as "Knock". I guess that's a plus. The real sad part is since Ray was signing a sticker, he didn't know that Sage misspelt his name until it was probably too late.
1996 Upper Deck: Orlanda Thomas, #197 (Shown Right): I honestly do not know if this card is an error or not, because every card manufacturer called him "Orlanda" or "Olanda" instead of "Orlando" early in his career. Upper Deck was not alone here either. However, every place I check has his name as "Orlando", so somebody screwed up.
2001 Upper Deck Legends: "Isaac Bruce" Memorable Moments #MM-IB-E
2001 Upper Deck Top Tier: "Junior Seau" Then & Now #TH-JS-E
2001 Upper Deck Top Tier: Junior Seau, Then & Now, #TN-JS (Shown Left): I always wondered why we use the abbreviation USC. I guess it's because people have trouble spelling "Southern".
1996 Upper Deck: "Orlanda Thomas" #197-E
2000 Upper Deck SP: Chris Coleman, Sign of the Times, #CL (Shown Right): Unlike the Raynoch Thompson card, Chris could have had Upper Deck print new cards. Or maybe everybody spells his last name wrong. Maybe "Coleman" is just as hard to spell as "Favre".
2000 Upper Deck SP: "Chris Coleman" Sign of the Times #CL-E
The Cool Errors: Unlike the previous errors on this page, these are what I call the "Cool Errors" because they just might be "One of Ones". Well, not technically. The Edgerrin James and Michael Bennett errors are all the hobby sees and there may not be correct versions of those 2 cards, but all the others on this page are very unique.
2001 Leaf Quantum Leaf: "Peyton Manning" Shirt off my Back #SB-26-E
2001 Leaf Quantum Leaf, Peyton Manning and Shaun Alexander, Shirt off my Back, #SB-26 & SB-6 (Shown Left & Right): Not care must be taken when you find cards like this, they could be Fakes, but I rolled the dice and bought them anyway and from what I can tell they look legit. Regardless, they are pretty cool cards to grab.
2001 Leaf Quantum Leaf: "Shaun Alexander" Shirt off my Back #SB-6-E
2001 Leaf Quantum Leaf: "Jim Brown" All-Millenium Materials #A-MAT6-E
2001 Leaf Quantum Leaf, Jim Brown All-Millenium Materials #A-MAT6 & 2005 Donruss Throwback Threads Andrew Walter #204 (Shown Left & Right): The Jim Brown card is another mixed up swatch. Jim never played for the Eagles or Jets. Also, I'm not sure when this happened, but it is kind of unique, regardless. The Andrew Walter card is missing the memorabilia swatch altogether. Regardless, these are pretty cool cards to grab.
2005 Donruss Throwback Threads: "Andrew Walter" Rookie Throwback Materials #204E
2001 Leaf Certified Materials: "Anthony Thomas" Freshman Fabric #123B-E
2001 Leaf Certified Materials, Anthony Thomas and Chris Weinke, Freshman Fabric, #123B & 135B (Shown Left & Right): I'm sure this happens more often than not. Cards that somehow get out of the factory with the wrong swatch in the wrong place. I would think that most of them are caught and destroyed, but for idiots like me, there is a market for them. (Note: The Chris Weinke card has a "Shoe" swatch on top where a "football" should be and the Thomas card has 2 footballs. Clearly not what is labeled.
2001 Leaf Certified Materials: "Chris Weinke" Freshman Fabric #135B-E
2002 Upper Deck A Piece of History: "Edgerrin James" Rookie Glory Jersey #RGJ-EJ-E
2002 Upper Deck A Piece of History, Edgerrin James & Michael Bennett, Rookie Glory Jersey, #RGJ-EJ & MB (Shown Left & Right): Not only are the jerseys the wrong color, but the card backs claim they were used in an "NFL Game". After sending the discovery of these cards to Beckett, Dan Hitt, (Then Beckett's Database Guru), was concerned that the cards might be faked. While that could be true and would be a concern, I've yet to find an Edgerrin James card with a "Blue" or "White" jersey or a Micheal Bennett jersey that is "Purple" or "White". So if they were faked, the bad guys got to the whole batch. Upper Deck just messed this one up.
2002 Upper Deck A Piece of History: "Michael Bennett" Rookie Glory Jersey #RGJ-MB-E
2009 Leaf Rookies & Stars: "Ramses Barden" Studio Rookies Jersey #13-E
2009 Leaf Rookies & Stars: Beanie Wells / Ramses Barden Studio Rookie #13 (Shown Left & Right): Of these errors, this is the only of its kind; A mix of the back and front. The "Beanie" Wells card is the Cardinal's "Beanie" on the front and the Giant's Ramses Barden on the back. Hence, the blue Giants jersey swatch is Barden's.
2009 Leaf Rookies & Stars: "Ramses Barden" Studio Rookies Jersey #13-E
In closing, error cards play a significant role in the hobby. Whether it's intentional, (the way Pro-Set let a vast majority of their cards slip thru the cracks), or unintentional the way every other company handled theirs. I enjoy finding them and then letting the powers that be at Beckett know about them. I'll always want to know if a corrected version exists too.
